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Ashestoodthere，feelingthewindlifthishair，listeningtothecrickets’ever-presentcrying，andfacingthemajestyofspace，astrangesadnessanddespaircameintohiseyes。
Drawingaquickbreath，heleapedthefenceandwasaboutgoingonuptheroad，whenheheard，atalittledistance，thesoundofadroveofcattleapproaching，andhestoodasidetoallowthemtopass。Theysnuffedandshiedatthesilentfigurebythefence，andhurriedbywithsnappugheels-apeculiarsoundthatmadethemansmilewithpleasure。
Anoldmanwasdrivingthecows，cryingout：
“St，boy，there!Goon，there。Whay，boss!“
Willknewthathard-featured，wiryoldman，nowenteringhissecondchildhoodandbeginningtolimppainfully。Hehadhishandsfullofhardclodswhichhethrewimpatientlyatthelumberinganimals。
“Goodevening，uncle!“
“Iain’ty’runcle，youngman。“
Hisdimeyesdidnotrecognizetheboyhehadchasedoutofhisplumpatchyearsbefore。
“Idon’tknowyeh，neither。“
“Oh，youwill，lateron。I’mfromtheEast。I’masortofarelativetoJohnHannan。“
“Iwantoknowify’be!“theoldmanexclaimed，peeringcloser。
“Yes。I’mjustupfromRockRiver。John’sharvesting，Is’pose？“
“Where’stheyoungestone-Will？“
“William？Oh!he’sabadaig-helitoutfrtheWestsomewhere。Hewasahardboy。Hestoleahatfulo’myplumsonce。Helefthomekindo’sudden。He!he!Is’posehewaspurtywellcutupjestaboutthemdays。“
“How’sthat？“
Theoldmanchuckled。
“Well，y’see，theywasbothcourtin’Agnesthen，an’mysoncutWilliamout。ThenWilliamhelitoutf’rtheWest，Arizony’rCalifornia’rsomewhereoutWest。Neverbeenbacksence。“
“Ain’t，heh？“
“No。Buttheysayhe’smakin’aterribleloto’money，“theoldmansaidinahushedvoice。“Butthewayhemakesitisawfulscaly。I
tellmywifeifIhadasonlikethatan’he’dsendmehomeabushelbasketo’money，earntlikethat，Iwouldn’ttouchfingertoit-no，sir!“
“Youwouldn’t？Why？“
“’Causeitain’tright。Itain’tmaderightnoway，you-“
“Buthowisitmade？What’sthefeller’strade？“
“He’sagambler-that’shistrade!Heplayscards，andeverycentisbloody。Iwouldn’ttouchsuchmoneynohowyoucouldfixit~“
“Wouldn’t，hay？“Theyoungmanstraightenedup。“Well，look-a-here，oldman：didyoueverhearofamanforeclosingamortgageonawidowandtwoboys，gettingafarmf’ronequarterwhatitwasreallyworth？Youdamnedoldhypocrite!Iknowallaboutyouandyourwholetribe-youoldbloodsucker!“
Theoldman’sjawfell；hebegantobackaway。
“Yourneighborstellsomegoodstoriesaboutyou。NowskipalongafterthosecowsorI’lltickleyouroldlegsforyou!“
Theoldman，appalledanddazedatthissuddenchangeofmanner，backedaway，andatlastturnedandrackedoffuptheroad，lookingbackwithawildfaceatwhichtheyoungmanlaughedremorselessly。
“Thedoggonedoldskeesucks!“Willsoliloquizedashewalkeduptheroad。“Sothat’sthekindofacharacterhe’sbeengivin’me!“
“Hullo!Awhippoorwrn。Takesamanbackintochildhood-No，don’t’whippoorWill’；he’sgotallhecanbearnow。“
HecameatlasttothelittlefarmDingmanhadowned，andhestoppedinsorrowfulsurprise。Thebarnhadbeenmovedaway，thegardenplowedup，andthehouse，turnedintoagranary，stoodwithboardsnailedacrossitsdustycobwebbedwindows。Thetearsstartedintotheman’seyes；hestoodstaringatitsilently。
Inthefaceofthishousethesevenyearsthathehadlastlivedstretchedawayintoawildwasteoftime。Itstoodasasymbolofhiswasted，ruinedlife。Itwaspersonal，intimatelypersonal，thisdecayofherhome。
Allthatlastscenecamebacktohim：theboomingroarofthethreshingmachine，thecheerywhistleofthedriver，theloud，merryshoutsofthemen。Herememberedhowwarmlythelamplightstreamedoutofthatdoorasheturnedawaytired，hungry，sullenwithrageandjealousy。Oh，ifhehadonlyhadthecourageofaman!
Thenhethoughtoftheboy’swords。Shewassick。Edabusedher。
Shehadmetherpunishment。Ahundredtimeshehadbeenoverthewholescene。AthousandtimeshehadseenheratthepumpsmilingatEdKinney，thesunlightingherbarehead；andheneverthoughtofitwithouthardening。
Atthisverygatehehaddrivenupthatlastforenoon，tofindthatshehadgonewithEd。Hehadlivedthatsickening，depressingmomentovermanytimes，butnottimesenoughtokeepdownthebitterpassionhehadfeltthen，andfeltnowashewentoveritindetail。
Hewassohappyandconfidentthatmorning，soperfectlycertainthatallwouldbemaderightbyakissandacheeryjest。Andnow!
Herehestoodsickwithdespairanddoubtofalltheworld。Heturnedawayfromthedesolatehomesteadandwalkedon。
“ButI’llseeher-justoncemore。Andthen-“Andagainthemightysignificance，responsibilityoflifefelluponhim。Hefeltasyoungpeopleseldomdotheirrevocablenessofliving，thedeterminate，unalterablecharacterofliving。Hedeterminedtobegintoliveinsomenewway-justhowhecouldnotsay。
IV
OLDmanKinneyandhiswifeweregettingtheirSundayschoollessonswithmuchbickering，whenWilldroveupthenextdaytothedilapidatedgateandhitchedhisteamtoaleaningpostundertheoaks。Willsawtheoldman’sheadattheopenwindow，butnooneelse，thoughhelookedeagerlyforAgnesashewalkedupthefamiliarpath。Therestoodthegreatoakunderwhoseshadehehadgrowntobeaman。
Howclosethegreattreeseemedtostandtohisheart，someway!
Asthewindstirredintheleaves，itwaslikearustleofgreeting。
Inthatlowoldhousetheyhadalllived，andhismotherhadtoiledforthirtyyears。Asortofprisonafterall。Theretheywereallborn，andtherehisfatherandhislittlesisterhaddied。AndthenithadpassedintooldKinney’shands。
Walkingalongupthepathhefeltaseriousweaknessinhislimbs，andhemadeapretenseofstoppingtolookataflowerbedcontainingnothingbutweeds。Aftersevenyearsofseparationhewasabouttofaceoncemorethewomanwhoselifecamesonearbeingapartofhis-Agnes，nowawifeandamother。
Howwouldshelook？Wouldherfacehavethatoldtimepeachybloom，hermouththatpeculiarbeautifulcurve？Shewaslargeandfair，herecalled，hairyellowandshining，eyesblue-Herousedhimself。Thiswasnonsense!Hewastrembling。Hecomposedhimselfbylookingaroundagain。
“Theoldscoundrelhaslettheweedschokeouttheflowersandsurroundthebeehives。OldmanKinneyneverbelievedinanythingbutapettyutility。“
Willsethisteeth，andmarcheduptothedoorandstruckitlikeamandeliveringachallenge。Kinneyopenedthedoor，andstartedbackinfearwhenhesawwhoitwas。
“Howdedo？Howdedo？“saidWill，walkingin’hiseyesfixedonawomanseatedbeyond，achildinherlap。
Agnesrose，withoutaword；afawnlike，startledwideningoftheeyes，herbreathcomingquick，andherfaceflushing。Theycouldn’tspeak；theyonlylookedateachotheraninstant，thenWillshivered，passedhishandoverhiseyes，andsatdown。
Therewasnoonetherebuttheoldpeople，whowerelookingathiminbewilderment。TheydidnotnoticeanyconfusioninAgnes’sface。Sherecoveredfirst。
“I’mgladtoseeyouback，Will，“shesaid，risingandputtingthesleepingchilddowninaneighboringroom。Asshegavehimherhand，hesaid：
“I’mgladtogetback，Agnes。Ihadn’toughttohavegone。“Thenheturnedtotheoldpeople：“I’mWillHannan。Youneedn’tbescared，daddy；Iwasjokin’lastnight。“
“Dewtell!Iwantoknow!“exclaimedgranny。“WalInever!An，you’remylittleWillyboywhoust’oheinmyclass。Well!well!
W’y，Pa，ain’thegrowedtall!Growedhandsometew。Iust’othinkhewasadrelfulhumlyboy；butmysakes，thatmustache-“
“Wal，hegivemeatumblescarelastnight。Myland!scaredmeoutofayear’sgrowth，“cackledtheoldman。
Thisgavethemallachancetolaughandtheairwascleared。ItgaveAgnestimetorecoverherselfandtobeabletomeetWill’seyes。Willhimselfwaspowerfullymoved；histhroatswelledandtearscametohiseyeseverytimehelookedather。
$hewaswornandwastedincredibly。Theblueofhereyesseemeddimmedandfadedbyweeping，andtheoldtimescarietofherlipshadbeenwashedaway。Thesinewsofherneckshowedpainfullywhensheturnedherhead，andhertremblinghandswereworn，discolored，andlumpyatthejoints。
Poorgirl!Shefeltthatshewasunderscrutiny，andhereyesfelthotandrestless。Shewishedtorunawayandcry，butshedarednot。
Shestayed，whileWillbegantotellherofhislifeandtoaskquestionsaboutoldfriends。
Theoldpeopletookitupandrelievedherofanyshareinit；andWill，seeingthatshewassuffering，toldsomefunnystorieswhichmadetheoldpeoplecackleinspiteofthemselves。
ButitwasforcedmerrimentonWill’spart。OnceinawhileAgnessmiledwithjustalittleflashoftheold-timesunnytemper。Buttherewasnodimpleinthecheeknow，andthesmilehadmoresuggestionofaninvalid~revenaskeleton。Hewasalmostreadytotakeherinhisarmsandweep，herfaceappealedsopitifullytohim。
“It’smosttimef’rEdtobegittin’back，ain’tit’Pa？“
“Sh’dsay’twas!HejistwentovertoHobkirk’stotradehorses。It’sdretfultryin’tometohavehimgoofftradin’horsesonSunday。
Seemsifhemightwaittillarainyday，’rdoitevenin’s。Ineverdidbelieveinhorsetradin’anyhow。“
“Havey’comebacktostay，Willie？“askedtheoldlady。
“Well-it’shard-tellin’，“answeredWill，lookingatAgnes。
“Well，Agnes，ain’tyougoin’togetnodinner？I’m’boutreadyfrdinner。Wemustgittochurcheariytoday。ElderWheatisgoin’topreachan’they’llbeacrowd。He’sgoin’toholdcommunion。“
“You’llstaytodinner，Will？“askedAgnes。
“Yes-ifyouwishit。“
“Idowishit。“
“Thankyou；Iwanttohaveagoodvisitwithyou。Idon’tknowwhenI’llseeyouagain。“
Asshemovedabout，gettingdinneronthetable，Willsatwithgloomyface，listeningtothe“clack“oftheoldman。Theroomwasapoorlittlesittingroom，withfurniturewornandshapeless；hardlyatouchofpleasantcolor，savehereandtherealittlebitofAgnes’shandiwork。Thelounge，coveredwithcalico，wasrickety；therockingchairmatchedit，andthecarpetofragswaspatchedanddarnedwithtwineintwentyplaces。EverywherewastheinfluenceoftheKinneys。Thefurniturelookedlikethem，infact。
Agneswasoutwardlycalm，butherrealdistractiondidnotescapeMrs。Kinney’shawklikeeyes。
“Well，Ideclareifyouhain’tputthebutteroninoneo’mybluechainysaucers!NowyouknowIdon’tallowthatsaucertobetookdownbynobody。Idon’tseewhat’sgotintoyeh。Anybody’ds’poseyouneverseeanycomp’nyb’fore-wouldn’tthey，Pa？“
“Sh’dsayth’would，“saidPa，stoppingshortinalongstoryaboutEd。“Seemsifwecouldn’tkeepanythinginthis’housesep’ritfromtherest。Edheusesmycurrycomb-“
Helaunchedoutalonglistofgrievances，whichWillshuthisearstoascompletelyaspossible，andwasthinkinghowtostophim，whentherewasasuddencrash。Agneshaddroppedaplate。
“Goodlando’Goshen!“screamedGranny。“Ifyouain’ttheworstI
eversee。I’llbetthat’smygrapevineplate。Ifitis-well，ofallthemercies，itain’t!Butitnaight’a’ben。Ineverseeyourbeat-never!
That’sthethirdplatesinceIcametolivehere。“
“Oh，look-a-here，Granny，“saidWilldesperately。“Don’tmakesomuchfussabouttheplate。What’sitworth，anyway？Here’sadollar。“
Agnescriedquickly：
“Oh，don’tdothat，Will!Itain’therpate。It’smyplate，andIcanbreakeveryplateinthehouseifIwant’o，“shecrieddefiantly。
“’Courseyoucan，“Willagreed。
“Well，shecan’t!NotwhileI’maround，“putinDaddy。“I’vehelpedtopayf’rthemplates，ifshedoescall’emhern-“
“Whatthedevulisallthisrowabout？Agg，can’tyougetalongwithoutstirringuptheoldfolkseverytimeI’mouto’thehouse？“
ThespeakerwasEd，nowatailandslouchilydressedmanofthirty-twoor-three；hisfacestillhandsomeinacertaindark，cleanlycutstyle，butheworeasurlyloo’kandloungedalonginasortofhangdogstyle，ingreasyoverallsandvestunbuttoned。
“Hello，Will!Iheardyou’dgothome。JohntoldmeasIcamealong。“
Theyshookbands，andEdsloucheddownonthelounge。WillcouldhavekickedhimforlayingtheblameofthedisputeuponAgnes；itshowedhiminaflashjusthowhetreatedher。Hedisdainedtoquarrel；hesimplysilencedanddominatedher。
Willaskedafewquestionsaboutcrops，withsuchgraceashecouldshow，andEd，withkeeneyesinhisface，talkedeasilyandstridently。
“Dinnerready？“heaskedofAgnes。“Where’sPete？“
